


fallin' in love (just a lil' ol' little bit)

by bad_ash10



Series: At Least Out Loud (I Won't Say I'm in Love) [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Meeting the Parents, These two idiots love each other, but are too stupid to see it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29845719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bad_ash10/pseuds/bad_ash10
Summary: Phil and Melinda have been in a pretend relationship for about a month, when Melinda asks Phil to go visit her parents with him. Phil's not entirely comfortable with it but goes along anyway.
Relationships: Phil Coulson & Melinda May, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Series: At Least Out Loud (I Won't Say I'm in Love) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194191
Comments: 20
Kudos: 35





	fallin' in love (just a lil' ol' little bit)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, hi, hello!! So guys, lots of people asked for a part 2 to the fake dating fic I posted the other day, and here we go! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> \--
> 
> Title taken from the song "Someone New" by Hozier.

“Remind me why I agreed to this again?” Phil asked, nervously adjusting his shirt and tie. From the few times he had met Lian May, he got the distinct impression she was someone who would see right through any ruse.

“Because-” Melinda turned him to face her, adjusting his tie for him, “you owe me for being your fake girlfriend on campus for the last month.”

“Yeah, but these are your  _ parents,”  _ Phil hissed. “It’s one thing to pretend in front of our friends, but it’s another to pull the stunt on your parents.”

“They already think we’ve been dating. What’s different about being here?”

Phil still looked nervous. “Because if your mother finds out we’re lying, she is much more likely to kill me when I’m staying in her house.

May laughed. “You’ll be fine, Phil. Just be your usual charming self this weekend and we’ll be back on campus before you know it. Plus, it’s my dad you’d have to worry about killing you.”

He hoped she was joking. 

“Mellie!” Mr. May said excitedly as he opened the door and pulled his daughter into a hug, before turning to Phil. “And you must be the new boyfriend? Phillip?”

“Baba, I told you he goes by Phil,” Melinda said with a slight roll of her eyes. “We agreed you and Mama weren’t going to give him a hard time this weekend, remember?”

William May was still sizing Phil up, but finally reached out and offered his hand. “Phil? Maybe I should go by Will then? Hmm? What do you think?”

Phil laughed nervously. This was awkward. Also, were his ears deceiving him, or did William just call Melinda “Mellie?” He made a mental note to tease her with that later.

William led them inside, motioning for Phil to sit on the couch as the older man took a seat in a well-worn armchair. 

Almost as soon as Phil was seated, Melinda was next to him, practically in his lap with an arm behind his shoulders so she could play with his hair. It took all his strength not to cave then and there and tell William that he wasn’t really dating Melinda. Something about the older man’s gaze made Phil feel like he was undergoing a polygraph test.

They made small talk for a bit, periodically hearing noises from the kitchen as Lian finished dinner until finally, William went to go see if his wife needed any assistance.

As soon as her father was out of earshot, Melinda punched Phil in the arm.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?” he hissed.

Melinda rolled her eyes. “Can you act like an actual human being instead of being so uptight? My mother is a spy, too remember? If you don’t start acting like you love me in the next one minute, I’ll-“

Lian burst through the kitchen door, William hot on her heels and both carrying bowls and steamer baskets full of food toward the adjacent dining room.

As she stood, Melinda turned to face him, pretending to pull him to his feet while giving him a warning glare. The message was clear-  _ get your act together. _

* * *

Melinda was glad when dinner was finally over. Her parents had grilled Phil all evening and the poor guy was barely keeping it together. Plus, Melinda could tell her mother knew something was up with their relationship. Lian might not know she and Phil were fake dating, but she definitely suspected something was going on.

Truth be told, she felt a little guilty lying to her mother. But with no other way to keep her mother from setting her up, Melinda felt she didn’t have any other options. 

Not long after dinner, Melinda and Phil were yawning from their early start to classes as well as the long drive to her parents’ house.

“Why don’t you two go to bed,” Lian told them finally. “You both look so tired, it seems you’ve barely heard a word we’ve said in the last ten minutes.”

Melinda nodded as she fought another yawn. “Is the guest room ready for Phil?”

“Ah, no,” her mother answered with a mischievous glint in her eye. “We are redoing the guest room.”

“Is he supposed to sleep on the couch then?” Melinda suspected her mother would say no, but it didn’t surprise her to hear it.

“No, we aren’t that old-fashioned! You two can share your bedroom,” Lian said matter of factly.

Lian was testing her. If they objected to sharing a bedroom, it would confirm to her mother that they weren’t a serious couple, so instead, she agreed. “Alright, good. Phil and I didn’t want to make assumptions we could stay in the same room in your house.”

Phil, to his credit, was playing along, though Melinda had felt him tense when Lian had said they would be sharing a bed. “Thank you for understanding, Mrs. May.”

* * *

Melinda led the way to her childhood bedroom, Phil trailing her with their small suitcases. As soon as the door shut behind them, he whispered furiously. “Melinda, we’ve never spent the night together before! Why are you so intent on doing it now?”

“My mother needs to think we’re a  _ real  _ couple. It’s just two nights, Phil. We can build a wall of pillows between us if you want.”

Phil gave her a hopeless look. “I don’t think you’re going to jump me in the night, but-” he sighed, dropping the bags on the bed. “You see how this makes me uncomfortable right? We  _ aren’t  _ really dating. This is like if Garrett and I shared a bed.”

Melinda rolled her eyes. “Why are men so set on the opinion that sharing a bed with a friend is so out of the question? Is it some kind of macho man thing?”

“You know what I mean, Melinda. It’s  _ weird  _ for you and me to share a bed.”

“Then sleep on the floor for all I care, Phil,” she hissed before grabbing her bag and heading to the bathroom. 

* * *

Phil couldn’t believe the nerve of Melinda! Sure, he had been fine with her telling her parents they were dating, but flaunting the deception in front of their faces made him uncomfortable. And now somehow he was sharing her bedroom? He always thought he would do anything for Melinda- she was his best friend after all - but maybe this was too much? Was this going too far?

He changed into his pajamas quickly while she was gone and reluctantly laid down in the bed, taking care to stay as close to the edge as possible.

Melinda returned shortly in a t-shirt and pair of shorts, hair pulled back into a ponytail and all of her makeup had been removed. He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked. 

Other than an arch of one eyebrow, she thankfully didn’t comment on his decision to sleep in the bed, and after flipping off the light, she crawled into the opposite side, pulling the duvet off of him in the process.

“Hey!” he said indignantly, yanking the blanket back from her.

She glared at him. “Don’t be such a child, Phil!”

After some whispered arguing over who had more of the duvet, they both had to concede and move closer toward the center of the bed, leaving barely an inch in between them as they both laid on their backs, staring at the ceiling and sulking.

Two adults sleeping in a full-sized bed was not very comfortable. Phil was too tall for the bed and his feet hung off the edge by a couple of inches. Add to that the difficulty of trying to keep a respectable distance between them, and he didn’t think he would get much sleep tonight.

Phil thought she had probably fallen asleep, but Melinda unexpectedly rolled over to face him, propping on her elbow so she could see him better. 

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Phil. Really. If you want to leave tomorrow, you can.”

He studied her in the semi-darkness, trying to decide how to respond and wondering what had changed her mind.

Melinda sighed. “I know you’ve been uncomfortable all evening, getting grilled about your past, your future, and anything else my parents managed to throw at you. And now I’m pushing you into sleeping in the same bed with me, even though you told me you weren’t comfortable with it. So I mean it. If you aren’t up for this anymore, I won’t blame you.”

“It’s alright, Mel. It’s just one more day. I’ll stay.”

She was watching him closely, he knew she was trying to get a read on him. “Are you sure? You don’t have to, you know.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure. I’ll stay on one condition.”

“Which is…?”

“If you punch me again, I’m out the door.” 

Melinda laughed and laid back down on the pillow. “I think I can manage that.”

* * *

The next morning, Melinda woke slowly, blinking against the sun streaming in the windows of her bedroom. It took her a moment to realize, though, she was not laying on her side of the bed at all. She and Phil were both in the middle of the bed, and they were…  _ spooning? _

It was a small bed, sure, but she did not expect  _ this.  _ His chest, flush against her back, their legs a tangle beneath the sheets? So much for keeping a distance between them.

She was afraid to move for fear of waking him, but she was also afraid to stay in case he woke to find her awake in his arms- she wasn’t sure which option was worse.

Instead, she decided on option number three: to wake him herself, maybe it would be less awkward that way. Melinda patted his forearm that was draped across her. “Phil.  _ Phil.” _

He started, jerking awake, and he lifted his arm, letting her loose. She slid out of his grasp and out of the bed, grabbing her bag and mumbling a quick excuse about needing to take a shower.

Meanwhile, all Phil could think of all day was how he had woken to find Melinda in his arms. Somehow in the night, they must’ve gradually worked their way toward each other. What was scarier though, was that he hadn’t minded. It was actually nice to wake up to someone in his arms, even if she had scurried away quickly once they were awake.

* * *

After a full day out shopping and coming home to cook and eat dinner with her parents, she and Phil crawled into bed later that night full of great food and exhausted from their day. Thankfully, things between her and Phil had been easy all day. He seemed to be back on board with the charade- holding her hand and giving her quick kisses when he knew her parents were looking, reinforcing their cover.

“Thank you for today, Phil,” she whispered as they lay facing each other, carefully keeping as large of a space between them as possible.

He yawned widely. “It was actually kind of fun. I had a good time at least.”

“Oh, really? I wouldn’t have guessed,” she deadpanned. He had hardly stopped smiling all day, she  _ knew  _ he’d had a great time.

Phil smiled, already half asleep. 

She watched him for a moment more, realizing he had probably enjoyed the day with her family because he had lost both of his parents- his father had died when Phil was a child and his mother had passed just a few years ago. 

Melinda kissed him softly on the cheek, careful not to wake him. He was such a sweet, kind, man, and her best friend in the world.

This charade wasn’t fair to Phil. Or her parents. The lies and deceit just to keep her mother from trying to play matchmaker? She knew she would have to come clean in the morning.

* * *

At daybreak, Melinda woke to find herself laying with her head on Phil’s chest and their arms wrapped around one another. Before yesterday, it had been a long time since she woke up in someone’s arms. 

It wasn’t until he spoke that she realized he was awake, too. “Morning, Mel,” he whispered, rubbing her back gently.

“Sorry,” she replied, giving him a guilty grin as she tried to sit up. “I’ve been awake for a while, but I was comfortable…”

He chuckled tiredly. “No, don’t worry. It’s kind of nice to have somebody to wake up to, isn’t it?”

She nodded, still not quite meeting his eyes. He was right, it was definitely a welcome change. “I’m going to get some tea. See you downstairs?”

* * *

Lian was already in the kitchen sipping tea at the small table when Melinda walked in and asked if they could talk.

“About what, Qiaolian? It’s awfully early for that serious look on your face.”

Melinda sighed and flopped down into a chair, resting her head in her hands briefly before willing herself to meet her mother’s gaze. “I’ve been lying to you, Mama.”

Lian was still sipping her tea. “I know.”

“You know? What do you mean you know?” Melinda asked in confusion.

She patted her daughter’s hand gently. “I’m a spy, Melinda. I can recognize a fake relationship when I see one. And I know you did this to keep me from setting you up, so I will forgive you.  _ This time _ .”

“Oh. Does Baba know?” She felt like a child ashamed of their actions.

Lian laughed. “Your father is many things, but not the most perceptive.”

“If you don’t mind, can I just wait a few weeks and tell him that Phil and I broke up? I don’t want him to think I was using him to test a cover story or something. He already hates that I went to the Shield academy.”

“Tell him what you want, Qiaolian,” she answered with a grin. “But I’ll tell you, any man who would willingly put up with everything your father and I threw at Phil this weekend is worth keeping.”

Melinda studied her mother for a moment. “We’re just friends. We’re  _ pretending  _ to be a couple, remember.”

“And how long do you expect you will stay ‘just friends’ if you keep up this act?” Lian asked knowingly.

Melinda sighed. If she hadn’t been pleased to find herself in Phil’s arms the last two mornings, she wouldn’t give her mother’s question a second thought. “No, we’re friends. That’s all we can ever be,” she answered, determined to keep the feelings she was developing for her best friend hidden from her mother. And from Phil.

**Author's Note:**

> So I don't think I've written a slow burn before, but I hope you caught my hints that some real feelings are starting to show up in the fake relationship between them. :)
> 
> And before you ask, I've got a part 3 working in my brain. :)


End file.
